Tag: progressive rock

The groundhog has seen its shadow… and in that shadow… lurks CORIMA. If you’ve never heard of the ‘Zeuhl’ genre, then—just for the moment—spare yourself from culling through the 11-album discography of Magma (the genre’s progenitor), and instead dive into Amaterasu, the third album by a vibrant and imaginative group based out of L.A. Taking after the jazz/prog leanings of its Zeuhl predecessors and the fully-enabled “anything goes” attitude of the RIO (Rock in Opposition) movement, Corima is all about fusion, yet also free of inhibition. The result: a two-piece, multi-movement concept work called Amaterasu. In this episode, we begin with an overview of Zeuhl before taking off on a roller coaster of an album analysis.

A “prog” band named Progger — oy, now we’ve heard everything! Indeed, after hearing the Austin-based band’s latest project Scattering (an album that sprung from a collaboration with the band’s newest New York-based members) our horizons have been markedly broadened. Incorporating elements of jazz, prog, funk, and a hefty dose of name-your-poison, Scattering is no aperitif; it’s the full meal. So join us for an in-depth analysis of this gripping work and also for a brief preview on some New Year’s homework: the ultimate mystery genre game. Let’s dig deep and ring in 2017 with shock & awe.

We’ve got an exciting project lined up for you today: the Austrian rock band Second Relation and their third album Eno. Peppered with the perks of pop music and the soul-satisfying rewards of art rock, Eno is a must-experience for progressive rock fans and music lovers in general. You know the drill; listen to the album yourself first, then join us in a track-by-track analysis of Eno and Second Relation’s fascinating attempt at musical portraiture. Afterwards, stick around for some brief theorizing on whether we, as people, have personal “themes”—simple narratives that the media we consume could easily, or not so easily, portray.

There’s nothing quite like Yugen that we can find. An Italian avant-prog chamber ensemble that derived influence from the RIO movement (Rock in Opposition) of the 70s/80s, Yugen’s latest endeavor is an LP called Death by Water. With a lust for chaos and a penchant for carefully cloaking its oddball leitmotifs, Death by Water can’t be judged by its cover. Check out the album in the Spotify link and just let it happen, folks. And then, we implore you… let us happen as well. Invite Crash Chords into your lives as we reason out this behemoth of an album, from its pinnacles to its perils. And then, in our topic, hear us reason out the disparity between the terms “avant-garde” and “experimental”… if any.

Need something to muse on? Muse on us! (…Musing on Muse.) That’s right; since we’re returning to a band we haven’t touched since Ep. #16, we’ll of course be counting on some growth from both fronts for our analysis of Muse’s latest album, Drones. Finally, be sure to check out 1:27:48 for a special topic hosted by Jon & Steve—sans Matt due to travel plans—on the early stages of a Crash Chords “debate” series poised to begin in 2016. Suggestions? Reservations? Contentions? That’s the idea! Let’s hear ’em all in the comments section!

The day has arrived! After 109 episodes, we are finally returning to the band that once delivered us the highest rated album of the podcast’s history. Ever since Episode #51, when we saw Godsticks break the mold with The Envisage Conundrum, we’ve been waiting to put their third studio release, Emergence, to the test. Biases notwithstanding, today we’re freezing the fanfare for an objective analysis of what this newly-released and highly acclaimed work has to offer. (Needless to say, if you haven’t yet heard of Godsticks, we’re determined to fix that.) And then, at last, for our topic, we address the elephant in the room: what’s a critic to do when they’re being watched? While many artists are resigned to the fact that all eyes are on their work, a critic’s corner is more ancillary. Looking briefly at the publicist–critic relationship, how can critics keep their real opinions separate from the “business” of it all? More to the point, should they?

This week we explore the latest work by the progressive rock & metal band, Between the Buried and Me. The album is called Coma Ecliptic. As the title might suggest, the album’s central theme focuses on a man who is stuck in a coma, journeying throgh his past lives. With each song intended as its own Twilight Zone-esque “episode”, Between the Buried and Me has certainly laid out a challenging structure for Coma Ecliptic. Question is, can it sustain itself? Let’s begin the analysis and find out! Afterwards, listen on for a discussion that pits genre-rooted music against theme-rooted music—that is, types of songs that bind their genres together, while at the same time brazenly rising from their genre’s

Owing its concept to the life and death of Joyce Carol Vincent, the fourth solo album by prog giant Steven Wilson, Hand. Cannot. Erase., is a poignant excursion through isolation’s subtle yet crippling onset. Listen to the album yourself first, then—as always—let’s explore and analyze its finer points in long-form discussion and weigh them against the whole. Also, be sure to stick around for a riveting followup discussion on the nature of genre fusion. We’ve got some theories; let’s hear yours!

A splash of Metal, a dose of Prog, a pinch of Post-rock, and a heap of adventure! That’s the bolognese that is The Migration by Scale the Summit. Join us for this intense review, followed by an equally intense discussion on “theme” vs. “arc.” Frequently lumped together in album reviews, these core components aren’t always holding hands, nor are they so clear-cut. What’s the distinction? Is one more important than the other? More questions and (some) answers in this week’s jam-packed episode.

To inaugurate “Season 2″ of Crash Chords Podcast, we dive into something a little more complex: The Envisage Conundrum by the Welsh Prog trio, Godsticks. Then we talk a bit about the developing interactive capabilities of music, how marketable they are, and whether or not they’ll be a positive move for the industry.